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Wenger hails Arsenal’s spirit, but admits draw leaves ‘big regrets’

Arsene Wenger: Mixed feelings after 2-2 draw

Arsene Wenger hailed Arsenal’s fighting spirit after they hit back to draw 2-2 at Tottenham, but admits he was left to reflect on ‘what might have been’ at White Hart Lane.

Alexis Sanchez scored 14 minutes from time to earn the 10-man Gunners a point from the clash, but Wenger felt the draw represents a missed opportunity for his side, who had led at the break thanks to Aaron Ramsey’s delightful flick.

Francis Coquelin’s second yellow card, coming after a reckless challenge on Kane, damaged his side’s hopes of a potentially crucial win in the title race and Wenger admitted it was a costly error.

“He knows he made a big mistake,” Wenger said. “We knew at half-time, we warned him as well.

“It was a mistake. He wanted to do well and mistimed his tackle and got sent off. I cannot complain about it.

“He has to quickly learn from that. At the top level it is about full commitment and 100 per cent, but in a controlled way. When you have a yellow card it was a mistake to go down on the tackle.”

Spurs dominated the opening half-hour but struggled to create any clear-cut chances and the visitors grew in confidence after Ramsey had put them in front.

A point halts the Gunners’ slide following consecutive defeats to Manchester United and Swansea but they still trail Tottenham by three points in the table – with leaders Leicester arguably the game’s only winners.